Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice
Advisor
Roslyn Doctorow
Committee Member
Marcia Adams O’Neil
Committee Member
Kimberly Durham
Keywords
ASD, SIB, positive intervention, negative intervention, teacher implementation
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to provide better access to current information for the parents and teachers who work with students who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and demonstrate self-injurious behaviors. Interventions to reduce selfinjurious behaviors in students with autism spectrum disorder were implemented by the registered behavior technician but not the teacher for this specific school.
The researcher, along with the Board-Certified Behavior Analyst, developed behavior reinforcement intervention plans to target self-injurious behaviors in a student diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The intervention plan was designed for the teacher to implement with the student instead of the registered behavior technician implementing it. The intervention plan consisted of implementing positive and negative reinforcements whenever the student pulled their hair or bit themselves as a demand for attention, refusing to complete a task, or wanting something. The research was based on observation and implementation of interventions for six consecutive weeks. Teachers and parents were encouraged to continue implementing the interventions to help reduce and even eliminate the self-injurious behaviors in hopes that the student acquires and retains the skill for the future.
An analysis of the data revealed that a reduction in self-injurious behavior was noted when the interventions were implemented. However, there were challenges on the days students came back to school from a less structured environment such as home. Improvements were noted over the passing weeks. Unfortunately, there were some setbacks in the research, specifically in having the teacher implement the interventions. Due to the inconsistency of having the same teacher with the student throughout the sixweek intervention, accurate data could not be collected to demonstrate skill acquisition or reduced behavior by the student if implemented by the teacher. This case study leaves the opportunity for future research not only in teacher implementation, but also in parent implementation.
NSUWorks Citation
Marcella Corrales. 2024. A Case Study Intervention Plan to Review Self-Injurious Behavior in Students Diagnosed With Autism. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. (697)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/697.
